Morocco Cracks Down on Delayed Development Projects Ahead of 2026 Elections

Official reports have indeed revealed that some local elected officials have deliberately slowed down the realization of projects initially planned to be completed earlier. Their goal: to coincide the inaugurations with the start of the election campaign. A practice that the Ministry of the Interior qualifies as manipulation and which, according to it, requires a firm intervention.

Concretely, the governors and prefects have been instructed to closely monitor all ongoing development projects. They will have to demand supporting documents, carry out regular field visits and verify the progress of the work. The ministry wishes to identify the causes of the delays and ensure the proper progress of the construction sites.

This increased surveillance also concerns projects related to the exploration of groundwater and well drilling. Reports have indeed indicated that these projects were sometimes instrumentalized by certain political actors for electoral purposes.

For the Ministry of the Interior, these measures are primarily aimed at protecting public funds and ensuring that development projects truly benefit citizens. The goal is to prevent any exploitation for political propaganda purposes and to prioritize the real development of the country, away from electoral calculations.